A Season of Hard.

I’m going through a “season of hard” right now. A season that seems to be lasting forever. That has no end in sight. A season of broken. Broken relationships. Broken health. Broken trust. Heartbreaking medical conditions, and difficult medical concerns. You name it, it seems to be broken.

Recently I wrote about The Longest Winter. Of longing to see the vibrant purples and yellows and to smell the fresh, new smell of spring. This season of hard, this long winter, is…well, long.

But I have been given a gift. A gift from a woman who doesn’t even know me, yet cares enough to share her hard with me that I might grow in my relationship with God. That I can learn through her. I started following Kara’s journey through her blog posts at Mundane Faithfulness where she speaks to our hearts about her hard. In her most recent post her words reached my heart, touched me, challenged me. Kara writes about how finding a content heart is difficult for her…for all of us. She shares the following wise words:

“When my heart is discontent I struggle through the details of life and look closely upon my control for comfort. When my heart is inclined toward God, I’m more willing to open my hands to my story and look for the present grace of God to show up.” – – Kara Tippetts

Wow! How beautiful and oh, how thankful I am for these words. Thank you God for giving Kara the gift of wisdom and understanding. Thank you Kara for speaking the hard words that I need to hear. That I need to be challenged by. Thank you for standing up and boldly speaking words that challenge me to change my heart attitude, to “incline” my heart to God. I am amazed at the beauty You find in your “hard” and so thankful that you have the heart to share it with me. With all of us!

It’s true! I am guilty of doing exactly what Kara’s words say. When my heart attitude is one of discontentment, one of focus on what I want or think I need, I find myself focusing on controlling things around me to direct them toward what I want. Walking through a season of hard can do that to me. It can turn my focus to ME. What I want. What I need. But, when my heart is focused, “inclined” toward God, I am willing to open myself, my desires, and submit them to God and I can allow God to be in control of what He desires for me and allow His grace to be at work in me.

How do you “incline” your heart to God in the midst of your hard? What verses do you cling to and claim that turn your heart to God and away from self? How has God shown himself strong in your hard?

Want to read more about Kara and her journey through her season of hard? In her recent book The Hardest Peace: Expecting Grace in the Midst of Life’s Hard, Kara issues you an invitation to join her in choosing to turn away from fear and control and embrace a journey toward peace and grace. She lovingly draws our hearts back to the heart of God who is presently with us, in the everyday, in the season of hard, and who can shape even our pain into something beautiful.